(Birmingham, UK) The Canadian Men’s and Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Teams have both qualified for the quarterfinals at the 2010 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships Monday.   Both teams took their only losses of the tournament thus far in their final preliminary games against Australia and finish second in their respective pools.  The Canadian Women fell 59-52, while the Canadian Men lost 67-49.

The Sr. Men’s and Women’s Teams are looking to successfully defend their dual World Champions titles at the tournament taking place July 7-17, 2010 in Birmingham, UK.

Both the Canadian Teams won gold at the previous tournament held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2006. For the Canadian Women it was their fourth consecutive World Championships, meaning this year they are vying for an unprecedented fifth straight World Title.

Team Canada Women looked to be in control of their game against Australia to decide the top seed in Pool A, but a 9 point lead heading into the fourth quarter wasn’t enough to keep their winning streak alive. They lost 59-52 to the Aussies who managed to outscore them 24-8 in the final frame.

Janet McLachlan (Vancouver, BC) once again paced the floor with 23 points for Canada. She also claimed 21 of Canada’s 40 total rebounds for her fourth consecutive double-double.

Heading into the quarterfinals McLachlan leads the tournament with 23.0 points per game and 16.25 rebounds per game. She is also tops in free-throw shooting with an 85.7% shooting percentage from the line.

McLachlan was helped out on offense by Tracey Ferguson (Holland Landing, ON) who had 11 points and 2 assists and Tara Feser (St. Albert, AB) with 9 points.

The Canadian defence did a great job of limiting the effectiveness of Australia’s attack during the first three quarters of the game. They forced their opponents to take difficult shots as evidenced by their meager 37% accuracy from the field. However, the Aussies relentlessly applied pressure on the Canadians which resulted in an uncharacteristically high 26 turnovers.

“I think we played well for almost the entire game. There was a stretch where we let down a little bit and that’s what cost us.  Overall I think we are on the right track. We are playing a really good brand of team basketball right now and there is a sense of optimism heading into the quarterfinals,” said Team Canada Women’s Athlete Tracey Ferguson (Holland Landing, ON).

The Canadian Women exit the preliminary round with a record of 3-1 and place second in their pool. They will face Japan in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 6:45pm (GMT). Japan finished third in Pool B with a 2-2 record.

The Canadian Men also lost to Australia (67-49) and wrap up the preliminary round with a solid 4-1 record. Canada fell behind in the second quarter and never fully recovered. They were trailing 32-23 at the half and worked hard to give themselves plenty of opportunities to rally but a 9 point deficit is as close as they would get part way through the third quarter. Australia out rebounded the Canadians 36-25 on route to the victory.

Joey Johnson (Lorette, MB) led all players with 14 rebounds, but the Aussies remained intent on picking him throughout the game and had some success at limiting his ability to jump into the offense.  He still managed to match a game high with 6 assists. Instead Canada relied on Adam Lancia (Toronto, ON) and Richard Peter (Duncan, BC) for much of their offense. Lancia tallied a team high 14 points, while Peter had 10 points. Dave Durepos (Fredericton, NB) also dropped a pair of 3-pointers to finish with 8 points.

Johnson completes the preliminary round tied for second in the tournament with 9.80 rebounds per game. Durepos shot 50% from the three-point line (3rd), and Peter shot 66.7% from the field (4th).

“You never like losing, but it is one of those games that you can learn from. They are a gritty, mean, in your face kind of team and for some reason about halfway through we let up a little bit. They are not the kind of team that you can do that against. So we are definitely looking forward to playing them again,” said Team Canada Men’s Athlete Chad Jassman (Calgary, AB).

The Canadian Men will meet Italy in the quarterfinals Wednesday at 12:15pm (GMT). Italy placed third in their Pool with a 3-2 record.

Canadian athletes and coaches will be available for scheduled interviews throughout the duration of the tournament.  

To schedule an interview, or to request additional information, or images, please contact Emma Van Steen, Communications & Media Relations Assistant, at (613)-260-1296 ext. 200, or by email at evansteen@wheelchairbasketball.ca  

Team Canada Men Schedule/Results (all times shown in GMT):

vs. Mexico – Thu. July 8, 2010 @ 2:00pm – Win 68-45
vs. Algeria – Fri. July 9, 2010 @ 4:15pm – Win 87-61
vs. France – Sat. July 10, 2010 @ 2:15pm – Win 67-55
vs. Turkey – Sun. July 11, 2010 @ 11:45am – Win 69-60
vs. Australia – Mon. July 12, 2010 @ 6:45pm – Loss 67-49

Quarterfinals vs. Italy – Wed. July 14, 2010 @ 12:15pm

Team Canada Women Schedule/Results: (all times shown in GMT):

vs. Great Britain – Thu. July 8, 2010 @ 11:45am – Win 54-39
vs. Netherlands – Fri. July 9, 2010 @ 2:00pm – Win 58-54
vs. Mexico – Sun. July 11, 2010 @ 6:45pm – Win 69-44
vs. Australia – Mon. July 12 @ 12:15pm - Loss 59-53

Quarterfinals vs. Japan – Wed. July 14 @ 6:45pm

o  Semifinals - Thursday July 15, 2010
o  Medal games & closing ceremonies - Saturday July 17, 2010

Wheelchair Basketball Canada is at the 2010 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships and will be providing frequent social media updates, video blogs, and photo galleries, in addition to daily recaps.

For more information visit: www.wheelchairbasketball.ca
Facebook: facebook.com/wheelchairbasketball

Twitter: twitter.com/WCBballCanada

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/WheelchairBball

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About Wheelchair Basketball Canada

Wheelchair Basketball Canada is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of wheelchair basketball in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is the Canadian member to the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF).

www.wheelchairbasketball.ca

For more information, to request additional images, or to schedule an interview contact:

Emma Van Steen
Communications & Media Relations Assistant
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 200
evansteen@wheelchairbasketball.ca
 
Press Attaché Overseas:
Jody Kingsbury
Manager, Communications & Media Relations
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 204
jkingsbury@wheelchairbasketball.ca